China Rejects Ruling By Hague Tribunal Over South China Sea Islands

China has rejected a ruling by the Hague-based tribunal over its disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea.

On Tuesday an international tribunal ruled against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, after the Philippines challenged Beijing’s right to exploit resources across vast swathes of the strategic waters.

The tribunal ruled against China’s claims to islands in the South China Sea in an arbitration which is likely to escalate tensions.

Judges on Tuesday sided with the Philippines which had brought the case already boycotted by Beijing.

“There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’,” the court said in reference to a 1947 demarcation line.

China immediately dismissed the ruling, saying it “does not accept and does not recognize” the tribunal’s arbitration on the dispute, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, China’s Defense Ministry said, “No matter what kind of ruling is to be made, Chinese armed forces will firmly safeguard national sovereignty… and deal with all kinds of threats and challenges.”

Xinhua said shortly before the ruling was announced that a Chinese civilian aircraft successfully carried out calibration tests on two new airports in the disputed Spratly Islands.